And while would-be travelers are accustomed to clicking around on travel search engines to find the best deals on flights, hotels, and rental cars, many people don’t realize that they can use these same types of sites to book cruises, too.

But is there one best site to book a cruise? That depends on what you’re looking for. Sometimes the best cruise website is actually a cruise line’s own site—since technically, cruise booking websites aren’t allowed to undercut the prices that the cruise lines set.

Often, though, the best cruise search engines are indispensable for locating incredible deals, including ones that throw in booking incentives worth hundreds of dollars—in Amazon gift cards, complimentary shore excursions, onboard freebies, and so on.

To save you the hassle, SmarterTravel investigated the glutted space of cheap cruise sites to determine which are worthy of listing as the best cruise websites; below are a few that come highly recommended.

The Best Sites to Book a Cruise

• Expedia (including Travelocity and Orbitz)
• Priceline
• TripAdvisor
• Avoya Travel
• CheapCaribbean.com
• CruiseDirect
• Cruise Critic
• Costco Travel
• Cruisewatch

Expedia

Expedia is an obvious first mention in a list of the best cruise booking sites, in part because it’s an absolute juggernaut (Expedia also owns Travelocity and Orbitz). Its cruise-booking interface is simple and straightforward, only requiring you to enter your preferred sailing destination and date range, as well as how many passengers you’ll be bringing along. Then Expedia does the heavy lifting for you, with comprehensive results that make it one of the best cruise search engines.

On Expedia, it’s common to find bookable cruises for 70 percent off face value, with the ability to sort by price so the best cruise deals come up at the top of the list, saving you the scrolling. A sample search for a mid-June cruise to Alaska, for example, quickly came up with a seven-night itinerary starting at $389 per person—that’s less than $56 per person, per night for a mostly inclusive weeklong vacation.

Expedia’s cruise deals tend to come paired with other enticing offers, including steep discounts on pre-departure hotels when you book both your cruise and hotel through Expedia. There’s also a dedicated 800 number that lets you speak to Expedia’s cruise experts and, often but not always, a generous amount of onboard credit thrown in for good measure.

Best feature: Sheer search power. Expedia’s easy-to-use cruise search engine generates a useful and well-ordered list of the best cruise deals, without much effort required from the user. Also, Expedia’s prices frequently match what the cruise lines themselves offer.

Priceline

Priceline is another powerhouse among cheap cruise websites. The initial interface comes off a bit clunkier than, say, Expedia’s or Kayak’s, but the tradeoff is that you can quickly search by cruise line, both standard and luxury, as well as by cruise length and departure port.

Using the seven-night Alaska example, Priceline brought up an itinerary aboard Royal Caribbean International’s Radiance of the Seas that starts at just $374 for the full week—roughly $53 per night. Hard-to-believe cruise deals like this show up on Priceline with regularity, which is part of what solidifies it as one of the best cruise websites.

Also adding to the appeal: deals exclusive to Priceline, plenty of bonus amenities (examples include $50 in onboard credit, third and fourth guests sailing free, and free specialty dinners for two), no money down to book certain sailings, frequent onboard credit sales, an 800 number to call should you need assistance while booking, and a loyalty club that’s ties in with every cruise line’s loyalty program. Priceline also lets you click a “senior discount” box if that applies to you.

Best feature: Priceline’s “110% Best Price Guarantee” promises that if you find your cruise listed at a lower price on another website within 48 hours of booking, then Priceline will refund you 110 percent of the cost difference, including port charges.

Tripadvisor

Many people think of Tripadvisor mainly as a travel review site, where you go to get real talk on hotels and attractions, and to see non-glamorized photos of places as seen through actual travelers’ eyes. But Tripadvisor is also an excellent site for travel deals, including on cruises.

Tripadvisor Cruise, which launched in April 2019, is among the best websites for cruise deals—it lets you nab the lowest price by comparing more than 70,000 ocean and river cruises from some 60 of the best cruise websites. It’s got an attractive, inspiring landing page, and its newest function, “Explore Ship-tinerary pages,” lets you browse full ship profiles, details, photos, and itineraries.

Though Tripadvisor is technically a meta-search site for cruises, which means that it will send you elsewhere to actually book, its search engine lets users sort by destination, length, cruise line, and month of travel. The default search results are ordered by “best value”, unless you specifically click that you’d rather see the results organized by price, cruise length, departure date, or cruise ship. Even when you click on “price,” the lowest-priced offering doesn’t always come up first, though it only takes a few seconds of scanning to determine which itinerary has the lowest price—that seven-night Royal Caribbean International trip to Alaska came up on Tripadvisor starting at $365.

Best feature: What makes Tripadvisor one of the best sites to book a cruise? In addition to having one of the best cruise search engines, Tripadvisor lets you read other cruisers’ candid reviews of the cruise that you’re considering, so that you get the non-sugarcoated truth about each sailing.

Avoya Travel

A rarity on the internet, Avoya Travel is a family-owned company that has been dealing in travel for more than 55 years. Avoya is one of the best sites to book a cruise in part because of its patented technology that lets travelers search cruises by destination, date range, cruise line, and last-minute status—and then get matched up, in real time, with one of Avoya’s expert vacation planners, who use that algorithm to customize a cruise booking to your specific preferences. (From Avoya’s website: “…we combine the ease of online search, with the expertise and personalized service of Independent Vacation Planners, plus secure exclusive deals and extras so you get more out of every vacation.”)

Avoya’s team of staffers and wide network of independent agencies make for a cruise booking website that’s a bit different from the rest. Its front page shows the “Best Travel Deals,” which might include half-off cruise fares, onboard credit, prepaid gratuities, and free or reduced airfare.

Like several of the other best cruise websites, Avoya offers a low-price guarantee; if you book a cruise with Avoya and then find a lower rate on another website within 24 hours of booking, Avoya will refund the difference.

Best feature: Avoya offers free membership, and members get exclusive deals and discounts, access to unpublished fares, first dibs on promotions, the ability to save favorite searches, and the right to book, change, or cancel travel without incurring any Avoya fees.

CheapCaribbean.com

When looking for the best site to book a cruise, don’t be put off by CheapCaribbean.com’s overly specific moniker. Despite the site’s name, it offers cruises all over the world. The site’s vibe is beach-oriented and a bit cheeky, with a front page that can overwhelm—but click on the “Cruises” tab, and a cleaner interface appears. There you can search by cruise line, ship, destination, departure date, and departure port.

CheapCaribbean.com offers refunds on 24-hour cancellations (within certain parameters) and a “110 percent best price guarantee,” a promise that if you find a lower price on the same cruise within 48 hours of booking, the company will refund you 110 percent of the difference. The site also lists traveler reviews about each cruise ship (as supplied by Cruiseline), though the reviews often include comments about the ship’s destinations other than the one you’re considering, which isn’t entirely helpful. There’s also a live chat widget if questions come up while booking.

Best feature: Helping to make CheapCaribbean.com one of the best cruise search engines is the fact that it lets you check boxes for additional discounts, including a senior discount, discounts by state (just enter your ZIP code), and past guest discounts if you’ve previously sailed with, say, Princess, Norwegian, or Disney.

CruiseDirect

Its front page is clunky and sort of in your face, but CruiseDirect is still one of the best cruise sites for a variety of reasons. As a cruise-only company, CruiseDirect doesn’t deal in flights, hotels, or rental cars, allowing it to focus its full capacity on helping you find the best cruise deal possible. On the site, you can search by destination, departure port, month, length of cruise, and cruise line. There’s real-time online chat and a contact number for support from a cruise expert. If you aren’t quite ready to buy, you can “heart” cruises to save them as favorites to refer back to later.

CruiseDirect offers perks on most sailings, like onboard credit, free drinks, free Wi-Fi, free gratuities, free travel insurance, or a free specialty dining experience—check out the “Bonus” box on the cruise listing you’re considering to see what extras it comes with.

Best feature: Like some of the other cruise websites on this list, CruiseDirect offers a “best price guarantee,” which means that if you find a lower price on another cruise booking website within 24 hours of your initial booking, you’ll get refunded the difference. But one key difference between CruiseDirect and the other cruise sites is that you don’t have to pay the cost of your cruise up front, just a deposit—and then if your cruise fare drops before you’ve made your final payment, CruiseDirect will readjust your rate accordingly.

Cruise Critic

A subsidiary of Tripadvisor, Cruise Critic has similar search results to that site, but it offers a bit more comprehensive information for seasoned cruisers who want more details before they book. Cruise Critic has tons of filters and sort options to help you find what you want, including everything from cruise line to cruise style (family cruises, luxury cruises, cruises for the disabled). Each itinerary clearly lists what is and isn’t included in the fare; Wi-Fi, alcoholic drinks, gratuities, and port taxes and fees are among the common exclusions.

Certain itineraries are marked with graphics declaring that the ship has won one of the site’s “Cruisers’ Choice” awards, denoting vessels that Cruise Critic members declare to be the among the best in categories such as cabins, entertainment, and family-friendly features.

You can sign up for price alerts, which will notify you by email when the fare on your selected itinerary drops.

Once you’re ready to book, Cruise Critic shows you a variety of offers from some of the best cruise booking sites, including bonuses such as onboard credit and prepaid gratuities. Then you click off to the site of your choice to make your purchase. Prices generally match what’s advertised on Cruise Critic.

Best feature: Under each search result is a tab for “reviews” where you can read reviews from Cruise Critic members who’ve previously traveled on the ship. On certain cruises you can click over to a full-length write-up of the ship by one of the experts on the Cruise Critic editorial team, including detailed information on dining options, cabins, entertainment, dress code, and more.

Costco Travel

When you think of Costco, you probably think of bulk food and toilet paper. But the next time you’re booking a cruise, it’ll be worthwhile to pull up Costco Travel, which is, unexpectedly, one of the best cruise websites.

The site doesn’t look fancy—it’s pretty bare-bones, visually—but the upside of going with a no-frills cruise-booking website is that Costco Travel offers extremely competitive prices, as well as some of the most attractive incentives, usually in the form of Costco Cash delivered to you after you get home from your cruise.

Though there’s no single point of contact if you need to call and discuss your cruise booking, Costco Travel’s call center is staffed with helpful agents from early morning until evening, seven days a week, and passengers can rest assured that Costco won’t go out of business before they set sail. Note that a Costco membership (starting at $60 per year) is required to book with Costco Travel, and that Costco doesn’t accept American Express.

Best feature: Rock-bottom prices—plus lots of cash back if you play your cards right: Costco Citi cardholders earn 3 percent cash back on cruise purchases, which can combine with the 2 percent Costco Reward for Costco Executive Members for a total of 5 percent back on Costco Travel’s already super low cruise rates.

Cruisewatch

Pondering which is the best site to book a cruise? Keep Cruisewatch in strong consideration—more than a typical cruise booking website, Cruisewatch bills itself as a “digital cruise advisor” that couples data power with personalization.

As an artificial intelligence cruise advisor, Crusewatch created technology that makes searching and booking a cruise more efficient—the first, it calls “Cruise Price Prediction.” In short, Cruisewatch collected and stored the daily price for each ship and cabin over a span of five years, resulting in millions of data points—and a massive database that informs exactly when cruise prices are lowest, and when the greatest saving potential exists.

Thanks to this comprehensive price history, Cruisewatch can predict cruise prices and drops with an accuracy rate of around 80 percent. Using the site’s cruise price prediction alerts, travelers can save up to 71 percent just by booking at the right time.

In addition to being able to predict prices, Cruisewatch tailors user search results to match their established preferences through customizable profiles and other similar features. This means you won’t waste time wading through cruises that may be cheap but don’t align with your vacation goals.

Best feature: Cruisewatch’s easy-to-set price alerts, based on tons of data, allow users to be notified in real time of the best new cruise deals the minute they come online.

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Editor’s note: Sarah Schlichter contributed to this story.

The post The 9 Best Sites to Book a Cruise appeared first on SmarterTravel.

Looking for a cheap cruise? Find the best deals at Avoya Travel.

What to Pack for a Cruise

According to Cruise Critic: “As you may not have access to your cabin for a few hours after boarding and your luggage can show up anytime throughout the afternoon and evening … the items in your carry-on might be the only possessions you have on your first day onboard.”

Having a change of clothes and a few day-to-day necessities in your carry-on can also be a lifesaver in the case of lost or delayed luggage. If you find yourself with no idea where your bags are or waiting to have them shipped to your next port of call, you’ll be glad to have a few extra items on hand to hold you over.

What to Pack for a Cruise: At Sea

Once upon a time, almost all cruise ships were pretty dressy, including some events calling for full formal wear. Now only a few upmarket ships still require a bit of fussing, but most of the mass-market ships, like those in the Royal Caribbean and Princess stables, are about as casual as you like. In any event, as long as you’re not out on deck, you’ll be in a comfortably air-conditioned space virtually all the time.

The first job of your cruise packing list is to determine just where on the formal-casual scale you want or have to be in, or if you want to prepare for both ends of the scale. Luckily, business casual attire (pantsuits, maxi dresses, khaki pants, and button-up shirts tend to fair just fine these days). And for those cruise lines that do have more formal nights, there are typically still buffet options for meals if you want to avoid fancier dress.

Then, decide how you want to play your wardrobe. I pack the minimum I’ll need to comply with the lowest degree of dressiness required. On the other hand, other couples I know are fully engaged with dress: The wife doesn’t want to be seen in the same outfit at dinner on any two different days, and the husband even packs his tux for the “Captain’s Dinner” event. But that’s not how everyone travels. Ultimately, it’s your call what’s most comfortable for you to wear on vacation, and therefore to pack.

Do you need to pack for the full cruise, or can you have your clothes washed or dry cleaned during your sailing? Although most big ships provide some kind of service, the specific answer to that question varies wildly among different ships: Some charge for laundry the way hotels do, some set a fixed price for a laundry bag full, some sell laundry packages prior to sailing, and a few offer self-service washers and dryers.

But no matter how you do it, you’ll definitely pay more for doing laundry while cruising than you pay at home. In general, large ships offer more options than small ones, and 200-passenger river cruises may provide only limited services. Again, check what your cruise ship offers before you decide how much you need to pack. Beyond the basic daily wear, pack whatever special recreational wear and accessories you’ll need. Even if you never leave the ship, you will probably want swimwear, and possibly some other specialized clothing and equipment as well.

What to Pack for a Cruise: In Port

The situation here is obvious: You need to pack for the climate in your cruise destination—and, for most people, being active in each port. You’ll be walking around during shore excursions, and many call for specialized equipment. That means you need to pack comfortable walking shoes and clothing on your cruise, even if you won’t need them on the ship itself. Make sure you pack appropriately for any off-shore excursions.

As to how heavy/light to travel, the Caribbean is hot and steamy pretty much all the time, and the Mediterranean in summer can come close. But weather in other popular areas such as Alaska, New England, and inland European rivers is a bit more variable. Your best bet is to check the weather forecasts just before you pack for your cruise, and always be prepared for rain. For Europe and Bermuda, you should more resort-causal clothing (fair warning: Golf courses in Bermuda have strict dress codes). Some other cruise itineraries that are more casual than the norm include Hawaii, the Mexican Riviera, the Caribbean, and French Polynesia.

What to Pack for a Cruise: Everything Else

Travelers sometimes forget that they don’t need to pack a full closet full of personal-care products and accessories in their travel toiletry kit. You can buy toothpaste, batteries, and tissues in most places around the world—and also on the cruise ship, albeit at stiff prices. Ships vary in what toiletries they offer onboard.

The latest packing challenge is with gadgets. I, for one, would have withdrawal symptoms if I couldn’t get online every day, so I would select a cruise ship with the latest internet connectivity and pack my laptop. On the other hand, if you want to get away from it all, a cruise ship is the ideal place—and you don’t have to pack any devices, converters, and such. Don’t forget your camera, and a travel extension cord can also come in handy.

Alcohol policies vary by ship (so do your research with your cruise line directly), but you may find it useful to pack a champagne corker or bottle opener.

When packing for your pre- and post-cruise flights, figure out what goes in your carry-on and what gets checked. If you’re big on collecting souvenirs and buying local handicrafts, leave room in your suitcase for what you bring home. You don’t want to get hit with paying for another checked bag or hauling both your regular carry-on and a shopping bag of loot on your flight home.

My most essential recommendation for what to bring on a cruise: Don’t get obsessive about it. Do your best and plan to cope with whatever problems you encounter along the way.

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Download Our Cruise Packing List Before You Set Sail

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Editor’s note: This story was originally published in 2016 by SmarterTravel’s Ed Perkins. It has been updated to reflect the most current information.

Consumer advocate Ed Perkins has been writing about travel for more than three decades. The founding editor of the Consumer Reports Travel Letter, he continues to inform travelers and fight consumer abuses every day at SmarterTravel.

The post The Ultimate Cruise Packing List: What to Pack for a Cruise appeared first on SmarterTravel.

Unfortunately, there’s one thing that makes cruises financially out of reach for many single travelers—the dreaded single supplement. Since most cruise cabins are designed to hold two people, many cruise lines penalize solo travelers with a surcharge of up to 200 percent. 

As demand for solo cruising rises, some cruise lines have adapted and begun offering single cabins—smaller rooms designed for just one person that don’t come with a pricey single supplement. 

How to Avoid the Single Supplement on a Cruise

Booking a solo cabin on a cruise is the best way to avoid the single supplement on a cruise. Ships offer a very limited number of solo cabins on most sailings, so book early if you want to snag one.

You can book a solo cabin on select ships within these cruise lines:

• Norwegian Cruise Line
• Royal Caribbean
• Virgin Voyages
• Oceania
• Cunard
• Holland America
• Celebrity Cruises

Some cruise lines will occasionally offer sales waiving or discounting the single supplement on double cabins—sign up for sale alerts from your favorite ships to be notified. For example, Costa Cruises is currently running a promotion waiving the single supplement on a large selection of cruises.

The 6 Best Cruise Lines for Solo Travelers

These cruise lines offer amenities and activities designed for the single traveler. 

Norwegian Cruise Line

Norwegian Cruise Line started the single cabin trend by being the first cruise line to offer rooms for one. At under 100 sq. ft, Norwegian’s studio cabins are definitely small, but solo cruisers will get exclusive access to the Studio Lounge, a shared space designed for socializing. Many sailings also offer singles meet-ups to help you get to know your fellow solo travelers. 

Tauck

It’s rare to find a sailing in Europe without a single supplement, but Tauck doesn’t charge one on any of their European river cruises (for Category 1 cabins). Want to upgrade? Tauck offers $1,000 off the single supplement on other cabin categories on select sailings. 

Tauck CEO Dan Mahar says their cruises are perfect for solo travelers, because “All of the advance planning and other tasks that would normally fall squarely on the shoulders of a solo traveler—all of the choreography, all of the hotel and restaurant reservations, all of the on-site transportation, navigation and more—they’re all expertly handled by Tauck.”

Cunard

How can you be a solo traveler and travel with your best friend simultaneously? When you’re cruising on Cunard with your pet. Guests sailing transatlantic on Queen Mary 2 can bring their cat or dog along for the journey. Furry friends must stay in the kennel, but you can visit any time you want.

Cunard offers some of the largest single staterooms at sea—a single Britannia Oceanview room ranges from 133-201 sq. ft. 

Don’t worry about being lonely on Cunard—the cruise line hosts coffee mornings and drinks receptions for solo travelers and offers shared tables for people who don’t want to dine alone. 

Virgin Voyages

Don’t want to be surrounded by families on your solo cruise? Book a trip on Virgin Voyages, one of the few cruise lines that doesn’t allow anyone under 18 onboard. Virgin cruises offer plenty of chances to meet other travelers, like organized “grog walks” (better known as pub crawls) and restaurants with shared seating.

Solo cabins are available in both insider and sea view stateroom categories. 

Royal Caribbean

Many cruise ships limit solo cabins to tiny inside rooms, but Royal Caribbean believes that single travelers deserve nice rooms too. The cruise line offers inside studio staterooms for solo travelers on a budget, as well as super studio ocean view staterooms with balconies for those who want to splurge. 

The single cabins are offered on the following Royal Caribbean ships: Brilliance of the Seas, Anthem of the Seas, Quantum of the Seas, Ovation of the Seas, Harmony of the Seas and Spectrum of the Seas.

Celebrity Cruises

Celebrity Cruises offers single staterooms on the Apex, Edge, Silhouette, Beyond, and Ascent ships. To have the best chance of nabbing one, book on the Beyond or Ascent, both of which have 32 single staterooms.

Celebrity frequently runs promotions in which they waive the single supplement for solo travelers, so keep an eye out if you can’t reserve a single cabin.

Tips for Cruising Alone

Worried about feeling lonely when cruising by yourself? These tips can help you make new friends on your next trip.

Opt for an Assigned Seating Time for Dinner

Many cruise ships offer the option to select an assigned seating time for dinner. If you choose an assigned time, you’ll sit at the same table and have the same tablemates and servers each night, so you’re guaranteed to see familiar faces at least once a day.

Take Shore Excursions

Engaging in an activity, especially if it’s something social like a wine tasting on a European river cruise or something adventurous like ziplining in Costa Rica is a great conversation starter.

If you book your excursion through the cruise line, you’ll be in the same tour group as people from your ship, so you’ll be able to make plans later on to hang out again with any new friends you make. 

Participate in Activities 

There’s always something going on aboard a cruise ship, whether it’s a trivia night or a karaoke competition. These activities are designed to get guests socializing, so try to join at least one every day. Look for events geared toward solo travelers to find your fellow singletons (who may be more open to making new friends than couples or groups). 

The post The Best Cruise Lines for Solo Travelers appeared first on SmarterTravel.

Skimp on Hand Hygiene

On a cruise, you’ll see constant reminders about keeping your hands clean, from big signs to hand sanitizer stations. If you want to avoid getting sick, it’s important that you maintain impeccable hand hygiene. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has a helpful guide for keeping your hands clean on a cruise ship. The CDC advises cruise ship passengers to “use warm water and soap to wash their hands. Washing is always best. If water and soap are NOT available (perhaps on excursions), use an ethanol alcohol-based hand sanitizer, preferably in a gel form. The sanitizer should be at least 60% ethanol.”

Always wash your hands after using the restroom and before eating. 

Disregard COVID-19 Protocols

While many cruise lines have done away with vaccination and testing requirement, there are a few providers that still have policies in place. Don’t plan on skipping a mandatory pre-cruise COVID test and think you’ll be able to talk your way out of it once you’re at the departure port. If a cruise line requires a pre-trip COVID test and you don’t have one, you won’t be allowed to board. 

Furthermore, particular itineraries may have different requirements than the overall cruise line. For example, both vaccinated and unvaccinated guests embarking on Royal Caribbean cruises from Australia must present a negative COVID test taken within two days of departure. Most cruise lines have very limited options for day-of tests, so don’t plan on being able to get one at port. 

Leave Your Data Plan On

Forgetting to switch off your cellular data at sea will be an expensive mistake. Many cruise ships have their own roaming network that guests can connect to (for very pricey rates). Even if you’re not making calls or texting, the apps on your phone will still auto-refresh and use data. Be sure to put your phone on airplane mode (or turn off your data) before you pull out of port. 

Overindulge 24/7

A cruise vacation is definitely the time to treat yourself. You want to sample all the delicious food and drink that’s available around-the-clock at the restaurants and buffets. However, it’s important to treat eating and drinking on a cruise as a marathon, not a sprint. If you deviate from your normal diet and eat large amounts of rich food at every meal, you’re going to be feeling pretty sick midway through the cruise. 

Try to pace yourself and eat a mix of healthy food and treats in moderate portions so that you won’t spend your whole trip lying in your room with a stomach ache. 

Arrive Late

Planning your own off-ship excursion that arrives back to the cruise five minutes before its scheduled to leave is a very dangerous gamble. Whether you’re planning out when to arrive before your cruise begins or how early to get back after a day out, you’ll want to leave lots of extra time. Remember that ship time is often different from local time, and change your clocks accordingly!

If you do miss the ship, you’ll have to pay (and arrange) for your own transportation to the next port to meet the cruise, or give up and head home early. 

Overpack

Cruise ship cabins are notoriously small, so you can bring a massive checked bag—but then you’re just going to be tripping over it your entire trip. A duffle bag, or other soft carrier, is ideal as you can easily unpack and stash it away in your cabin. Smaller carry-ons are also a good choice, as they won’t take up too much space in your room. 

Become Drunk and Disorderly

It’s tempting to overindulge if you’ve purchased a drink package and have unlimited access to alcohol, but it’s also an easy way to wind up in the brig (aka, cruise ship jail). Extreme intoxication can also result in accidents on a cruise ship (such as falling overboard) so take it easy at the ship’s bar.

The post 7 Things You Should Never Do on a Cruise Ship appeared first on SmarterTravel.

Note that all trips and single supplement discounts were available at the time of publication, but they could sell out at any time. If you’re interested in these solo vacations, it’s best to book early.

Explore Madeira, Portugal, on Foot

Sweeping coastal views, sleepy fishing villages, and sheltered forests await on one of Exodus Travels’ Madeira walking tour itinerary. The eight-night trip includes leisurely walks of up to nine miles a day along some of Madeira’s most breathtaking hiking trails. The trip ends with free time to explore Funchal, the island’s historic capital. Exodus will match you with a roommate, or you can pay a modest single supplement for your own room. Departures are available every month throughout 2023.

See Morocco from the Mountains to the Desert

Overseas Adventure Travel is one of the best tour operators for solo vacations, thanks to free single supplements on most trips. That includes one of its most popular tours, the 15-night Morocco Sahara Odyssey, which takes you through the narrow streets of ancient medinas, over the sand dunes of the Sahara Desert, and through the dramatic peaks of the High Atlas Mountains. Unique experiences include lunch in a Berber home and a couple of nights under the desert sky in a private tented camp. This trip has available departures between March and December 2023.

Camp in Utah’s National Parks

Join REI on a stunning eight-day journey through the national parks of Utah. Hike and camp in Canyonlands, Arches, Capitol Reef, Bryce Canyon, and Zion National Parks as you learn about the nature, geology, and cultural history of the region from REI’s experienced guides. The package includes access to group cooking gear and first aid kits, a tent, and a sleeping pad. Check out their gear list for more information on what to pack.

Explore Northern India’s Icons

See the Taj Mahal and much more on this dedicated solo trip to India from Intrepid Travel. The seven-night itinerary starts and ends in bustling Delhi, where you’ll discover the city’s oldest mosque and have free time to explore on your own. Then you’ll head to Jaipur to visit royal palaces and soar above the city in a hot air balloon before visiting the 14th-century village of Karauli and touring the magnificent Taj Mahal. Intrepid will match you with a same-gender roommate so you can avoid paying a single supplement. This trip departs on select dates between February and December 2023.

Summit Mount Kilimanjaro

A bucket list trip for many avid hikers, summiting Mount Kilimanjaro can seem like a hefty task to undertake by oneself. However travelers partaking in World Expedition’s Kilimanjaro Lemosho Route will feel anything but alone. With dozens of experienced guides, porters, and chefs to support you on the trek and a group of like-minded adventurers by your side, travelers are sure to come out of the 10-day experience with new friends and once-in-a-lifetime memories.

Discover Ireland Your Way

Not big on group tours? Consider Great Value Vacations’ Irish B&B Getaway package, which includes airfare, a rental car, and accommodations at bed and breakfasts around Ireland, allowing you to wend your way through the countryside at your own pace. Highlights include dramatic coastal roads, lively villages, and historic castles. The itinerary can be customized for six to nine nights, and you may depart any month of the year.

See Japan by Train

Hop on a bullet train to speed between destinations around the country on G Adventures’ Japan Express: Osaka to Tokyo tour. Travelers can visit shrines in Kyoto, explore the Harajuku district of Tokyo, and enjoy a boat ride on Lake Ashino-ko where, weather-dependent, you may be able to catch a glimpse of the famous Mount Fuji. Some G Adventures tours offers a single supplement option, however on most tours travelers will be paired with a roommate of the same gender.

Spot Rare Wildlife in Madagascar

Keep an eye out for lemurs, chameleons, boa constrictors, and numerous rare birds as you travel with Explore! through Madagascar: The Lost Continent.  In addition to wildlife-watching treks through the island’s national parks, this itinerary also features a walk along a spectacular canyon, a visit to Madagascar’s oldest palace, and a stay in a local community guesthouse. Explore! will match you with a same-gender roommate if you don’t wish to pay a single supplement. This trip has departures between April and October 2023.

Enjoy Nature in Costa Rica

Discover the beauty and biodiversity of Costa Rica with Road Scholar’s nine-night Taste of Costa Rica package. Highlights include river rafting in the Sarapiquí River, Latin dance lessons, a walk through a cloud forest, and a visit to the Monteverde Butterfly Garden. Road Scholar is currently offering single rooms at no added cost on this itinerary. This trip has several departures between March and December 2023.

Discover the Best of Tuscany and Umbria, Italy

There’s a reason Tuscany and neighboring Umbria are two of Italy’s most beloved regions. Discover them for yourself on Insight Vacations’ Country Roads of Umbria & Tuscany tour, an eight-night voyage to destinations such as Florence, Assisi, Siena, and San Gimignano. You’ll enjoy a pasta-making demonstration in Baschi, then learn about traditional textile weaving in Perugia and visit a family-run olive mill in Assisi. If you do not opt for a single supplement, you will be matched with a roommate of the same gender. Departure dates are available between April and October 2023.

Have an Adventure with Fellow Women

If you, like many female travelers, feel safer and more comfortable in the company of other women, consider booking a trip with Adventure Women, which offers active, women-only tours to destinations around the world. Most of the company’s clients come alone, so you’re sure to find common ground with your fellow travelers. Solo vacations for 2023 with availability at press time include a biking and boating tour through Vietnam, an active adventure in the Canadian Rockies, a Serengeti wildlife safari, and more. You can choose to be matched with a roommate or pay a little extra for your own room.

Sarah Schlichter wants to take every one of these solo vacations. Follow her on Twitter @TravelEditor for more travel tips and inspiration. Carol McPherson contributed to this story.

The post 11 Amazing Solo Vacations to Take in 2023 appeared first on SmarterTravel.

Some of the links featured in this story are affiliate links, and SmarterTravel may collect a commission (at no cost to you) if you shop through them.

Best Websites for Last Minute Flights

Finding flights can be a hassle, but it doesn’t have to be! There are loads of ways to find cheap flights from your favorite airline, even if you are going away in the near future.

1. Google Flights

One fun way to find last minute flights is to plug your departure city and travel dates into Google Flights, leaving your destination blank. The resulting map shows you the lowest available prices to cities all over the world, letting you find deals in places you might not have ever thought to go.

2. Kayak

Kayak’s Explore feature is a similar tool. You can enter exact travel dates or a certain month, then see which fares are available from your home gateway. 

3. Secret Flying

You can get alerts when fares go down when you sign up at Secret Flying, or, use their search tool to find great last minute deals on flights. Simply input your departure city, keep the arrival as “anywhere” and put the current month as the time you are looking to fly. Perfect for when you just want to get away, but you don’t care where to. Secret Flying also finds “mistake” fares, so be sure to sign up to get notifications so you can book them before they are gone! 

Where to Find Last Minute Hotel Deals

You’d think that every hotel would have cheap rooms last minute, but that isn’t always the case. These sites will help you find a room that won’t break the bank with a spur of the moment trip! 

1. Hotel Tonight

A perennial favorite app among SmarterTravel editors, HotelTonight has been finding travelers’ deep hotel discounts since 2010. The app allows travelers to book same-day accommodations across the globe at discounts of up to 50 percent. If you don’t want to leave things until the literal last minute, though, the app also lets you book dates a little further out. The well-designed booking engine serves up clever recommendations and insider info—plus those remarkable markdowns. Keep an eye out for the Daily Drop, the biggest discount of the day (which you only have 15 minutes to book).

2. Groupon

The site is known for discounted restaurant meals, fitness classes, and beauty services also has a last minute deals section that typically includes discounted hotel and resort stays. On the day I checked, options ranged from a $69 hotel near Niagara Falls to a four-star Times Square hotel for $77 a night.

3. Trip.com

Trip.com is your basic hotel booking site, and is great for finding a last minute deal. While they feature hotels all around the world, it’s particularly great for deals on hotels in Asia, so when you grab an amazing last minute flight to somewhere in Asia, head to trip.com to book your hotel! 

4. Last Minute Travel

As its name suggests, Last Minute Travel is dedicated solely to last minute travel deals. This wide-ranging site offers bargains on hotels, car rentals, cruises, transfers, and activities. Their hotel deals are amazing.  In a sample search, I found top-rated hotels in Paris from just $54 per night for a trip about two weeks out. The site has a Last Minute Travel Club for deeper discounts and rewards points to use toward free hotel stays. Membership is $50 per year.

Amazing Last Minute Vacation Packages

Sometimes, booking a vacation package is the cheapest way to go for last minute travel. These sites are the best for one-stop shopping.

1. Airfarewatchdog

SmarterTravel’s sister site Airfarewatchdog has a nifty Weekender tool that lets you find a flight/hotel vacation package for upcoming weekends, just click the link and let the site do the rest of the work. 

2. CheapCaribbean.com

If you have a specific destination in mind, your best bet is often to focus on a website that deals with one region specifically. CheapCaribbean.com has last minute deals, many of them short-lived flash sales. Though you can’t hem and haw about whether or not to go, you’ll often have plenty of time to plan. For example, a four-night air/hotel package to the Dominican Republic might start at $509 per person for travel four to six months from now—but it must be booked in the next four days.

3. FunJet Vacations 

Book your flight and hotel together at FunJet Vacations. If you have a place in mind, enter the dates you want to go and the destination, and it will give you the best flight and hotel deals available. Their sales are great if you are open to where you want to go, and often have dates for travel within the month. 

Affordable Last Minute All Inclusive Deals

A vacation where everything is paid for in advance may seem a luxury to some people, but it is actually quite affordable. These sties will help you find the best all-inclusive deals, so all you have to do is sit back and enjoy the sun! 

1. Sandals Resorts

Sandals resorts has great deals for last minute travel. You often can get one night free, and when you start the booking process, have the option of booking your flight as well. You may even find availability for travel within the week. 

2. Club Med

When it comes to all-inclusive, Club Med usually comes to mind. Like Sandals, they often have fantastic last minute deals for when you are looking to book without much time to plan. Club Med has locations all over the world, including Florida, perfect for a cheap getaway. 

3. Travelzoo

This venerable travel site offers last minute deals on just about everything, but their all-inclusive search is one of the best as far as the bigger sites go. When I searched, I found a package for an all-inclusive stay in Cabo, including airfare, for $499, for travel next week. 

4. Hotwire

Believe it or not, some of the bigger travel sites have all-inclusive deals available to book, and Hotwire is no different. Hotwire breaks down deals by the hottest all-inclusive locations, including Cancun, Punta Cana, and Cabo. Search via top destinations, 5-Star Hotels, top beach destinations and more. If you aren’t picky, you can book before knowing what resort you are staying at for super low prices, some starting as low as $23/night! 

How to Find Great Deals on Last Minute Tours

If you prefer having an itinerary made for you, and, let’s face it, if you are taking a last minute trip, it might be nice to not have to plan the entire trip, there are some great sites to book a last minute tour on. 

1. TourRadar

Book a tour of your destination as well as accommodations through TourRadar. There are several ways to search, including destination, type of tour (adventure, cultural, safari etc..), and date. Search for tours for travel in the next two weeks, up to sixty days in advance. 

2. G Adventures

From Iceland to Turkey, G Adventures has tours to inspire and excite. They have available dates for travel throughout the year, but most are available to book for tours within a week or two. They have themed tours like the Northern Lights in Iceland, and Hiking the Azores—whatever, wherever you want to go. I found a seven day hiking tour of Cyprus for $764 for travel in two weeks. 

3. Contiki 

Contiki has a wide variety of tours to choose from, and the site has a handy last minute trips option to find a tour when you need one. When I searched, there was an Egypt and the Nile tour for $1409, starting in just two days from when I searched! Most tours include accommodation, meals, transportation, admission to sites, and tour guides. 

Popular Getaway Deal Destinations

You may think it is hard to find deals to some of the top destinations, but as we have been mentioning, there are several options out there, no matter where you are going. Here are some sites that will help you plan your next getaway to some of the top spots.

Europe Deals

Lastminute.com 

Netherlands-based LastMinute.com also covers a range of last minute trip options, including flights, hotels, Eurostar train tickets, vacation packages, car rentals, theater tickets, and experiences. A Paris search turned up hotel rates from about $74 per night at press time. This site also allows you to filter by hotels that offer free cancellation, a great perk if your travel plans change last minute. LastMinute.com also has “top-secret hotels” available for opaque booking, though in my Paris search they were actually a bit more expensive than the named hotels in my results.

Caribbean Vacations

Beaches

While we love Sandals, we also love their sister company, Beaches. Beaches features two resorts in Jamaica and one in Turks and Caicos. Their last minute travel deals are similar to Sandals, where you can get one free night, and are able to book with just a couple of days in advance. 

Trips to New York

TKTS

Chances are, if you are heading to NYC, you are going to want to see a Broadway show. Your best option for great last minute seats is TKTS. Download the app for your phone to see that days discounted tickets, and you can decide whether it is worth making the trek to the booth. Beats running out early in the morning to wait in line, and you are sure to get some deeply discounted tickets. 

Best Last Minute Travel Apps for Your Phone

Most people tend to do everything on their phones, from booking restaurants, reading the news, and of course, booking travel. These apps are our favorites for booking last minute travel.

Elude

Elude is more than an app, it is an experience for the well-seasoned traveler. Not only does it let you search trips from your departure city to anywhere in the world, it gets to know you so you’ll find out about the best deals catered to your interests. Keep tabs on your trips, where you’ve been and what you’ve done. Their search feature allows you to put what your budget is, and what dates you want to travel, then showing you details for trips that fall under your criteria. When I searched, I found a trip to Prague leaving from New York City in two weeks for $1374 including airfare and hotel. 

Snaptravel

With Snaptravel, you can search for hotels conveniently on your phone. Once you sign up, you will receive exclusive deals over your message service of choice (SMS, Facebook Messenger, iMessage etc..). You can also do a simple search with the days you want to go, and where you want to go. You can filter by price, hotel stars, amenities and more. The perfect app for booking that last minute hotel anywhere in the world. 

VRBO

These days, vacation rentals are all the rage, and finding a last minute travel deal for accommodations can be tricky if you don’t want to break the bank. That’s where apps like VRBO come in. You can search rooms, apartments and houses available to rent wherever you are going. Often, owners who have had a cancellation or just want the place booked will discount the price last minute as to not totally lose out on making any money. You might just find a unique stay, like a treehouse or secluded cabin. 

Travelocity

Everything is better with time, and Travelocity is not excluded. Founded in 1996, they have adapted to the ever-changing tech world, and their app shows they are good at what they do. Search for hotels, vacation packages, flights—you name it—and all of your bookings will stay on the app for easy access. Looking for the perfect trip to Las Vegas last minute? Travelocity has your back.  When I searched for a trip to Vegas in two weeks, I found hotel and airfare for under $1,000 for a five night stay. 

Editor’s Note: This story was originally published in 2017. It has been updated with the latest information. Genevieve S. Brown and Dara Continenza contributed to this story.

The post Best Websites to Book a Last Minute Vacation appeared first on SmarterTravel.

Pack These Sleep Masks

Concerned about ruining your pristine makeup, or if your sleep mask will truly achieve total blackout? Try one of these sleep masks that could change your mind.

Baloo Living Sleep Stone Mask

Baloo Living’s Sleep Stone Mask pulls triple-duty. It’s light-blocking, noise-muffling, and calming thanks to an oversized design and hidden crystal pocket. This sleep mask comes with your choice of “sleep stone” crystal (amethyst for calming, purple fluorite, blue lace agate, or rose quartz) that tucks into a secret pocket over the third eye chakra. 

The mask features a wide-wrapped velcro closure that lets you adjust for the perfect fit without getting it caught in your hair, and it’s made from a satin/spandex blend that’s comfortable and good for your hair and skin.

Bedtime Bliss Sleep Masks

When you are in the deepest stage of sleep, called rapid-eye movement, or REM cycle, your eyes move around underneath your eyelids. You don’t want to have anything restricting that movement: A sleep mask like Bedtime Bliss that’s contoured around your eyes is good at preventing this. Rather than pressing down on your eyelids, it gives your eyes the space to move freely as you dream.

Yala Silk Sleep Masks

If you’re going to wear something on your delicate eye area all night, it might as well be silk. The material is purported to help prevent wrinkles and breakouts when used as a sleep mask. Yala’s silk sleep masks have a 100 percent silk exterior, which feels soothing on your skin. The black silk lining helps block out light, and the two ultra-thin straps won’t annoy you when you’re laying down.

GoSleep Travel Sleeping System

Fall asleep sitting up and on a brightly lit airplane with the GoSleep Travel Sleeping System, which uses adjustable elastic straps: Loop them around the wings of your headrest, rather than your seatback to avoid annoying the person behind you. When attached to the sleep mask, they’ll keep your head from bobbing forward.

Lavender Silk Eye Pillow

Research has found that the smell of lavender can help induce sleep—or at least block out bad smells in your airplane cabin or hotel room. This Premium Lavender eye mask is filled with the herb, and it’s customizable—you can add or remove lavender until you get a comfortable fit.

IMAK Compression Pain Relief Mask and Eye Pillow

If you suffer from migraines, sinus pain, or puffy eyes, you’ll want to try the IMAK eye pillow, which is filled with tiny ergoBeads that conform to your face and give a gentle massaging effect. Pop it in the freezer for cooling relief and to help with puffy or swollen skin.

NodPod Weighted Sleep Masks

Weighted blankets are thought to provide a calming effect, which can reduce anxiety and help with insomnia—and are very trendy right now. But for a more travel-friendly version, try a weighted sleep mask like the NodPod, which uses microbeads as a form of deep-pressure touch therapy to help you sleep better and to alleviate stress.

Alaska Bear Sleep Masks

The Alaska Bear sleep masks are a cult favorite on Amazon, with a 4.5-star rating and nearly 10,000 customer reviews—and certain colors are only $5.99 price at time of writing. The sleep masks have an adjustable headband that will fit any head size. A small flap by the nose can be flipped for extra light-blocking power.

Puroni Blackout Sleep Mask

If you can’t stand anything touching your eyelids while you sleep, the Puroni Blackout Sleep Mask is for you. This sleep mask has deep, 3D-contoured domes that surround your eyes (rather than resting on them) so you’ll feel like you aren’t wearing anything on your face.

Travel Halo Sleep Mask

The Travel Halo looks like a visor pulled down over your face, but it’s actually a plush eye mask with two small pillows attached to the side, which will cradle your head and prevent it from falling down when you sleep sitting up. When you’re not using it, it rolls up for easy storage.

More from SmarterTravel:

• 10 Travel Gadgets to Help You Sleep Away from Home
• 10 Tiny Gadgets That Will Help You Sleep on the Plane
• 8 Neck Pillows That Won’t Embarrass You on the Plane

Caroline Morse Teel will shamelessly wear any of these sleep masks in public. Follow Caroline on Instagram @TravelWithCaroline for style and travel photos.

Some review products are sent to us free of charge and with no incentive to offer a favorable review. We offer our unbiased opinions, positive and negative, and will never accept compensation to review a product.

The post 10 Best Sleep Masks for Travel appeared first on SmarterTravel.

Exodus Travels: Walking the Antrim Coast, Ireland

Ramble past castles, windswept beaches, and rugged cliffs as you explore one of the most beautiful sections of Ireland’s northern coast—the Antrim Way. On Exodus Travels’ self-guided Walking the Antrim Coast tour, you’ll be able to walk at your own pace (and not have to haul a giant backpack) as your luggage is sent on ahead to each new hotel. In between scenic walks, you’ll have the chance to sip classic Irish whiskey at the Bushmills distillery, stand in awe at the Giant’s Causeway, and cross the famous Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge. Trip prices start at $949. 

G Adventures: Rajasthan: Laneways & Local Villages, India

15 days in India for just $620? It’s possible on G Adventures’ Rajasthan: Laneways & Local Villages Tour. This trip starts and end in Delhi, and takes you on a whirlwind loop through the desert town of Mandawa, the “blue city” Jodhpur, the gorgeous lakes of Udaipur, the holy city of Pushkar, the historic village of Tordi Garh, and the “pink city” Jaipur.

REI Adventure Whistler Backpacking, USA

The vibrantly colored lakes of Whistler don’t even look real in photos. Verify their beauty yourself in-person on REI’s Adventure Whistler Backpacking tour. Starting at just $899 for a four-day backpacking adventure, the trip begins in Whistler Village, where a gondola will whisk you to the top of Whistler Mountain for an epic hike. Along the way, you’ll camp in the backcountry, swim in lakes, and hike through alpine forests, for an unforgettable trip.

Adventure Cycling Association Olympic Discovery Trail, USA

The Olympic Discovery Trail is a 230-mile network of bike paths and shared roads, and you can traverse it all on two-wheels on the Adventure Cycling Association’s Olympic Discovery Trail tour. This van-supported journey begins and ends in Port Townsend, and costs just $799 for four-days. 

Chimu Adventures: Highlights of Guatemala, Guatemala

Spend seven days exploring Guatemala’s highlights, while only spending $860, on Chimu Adventures’ Highlights of Guatemala tour. The trip begins in the UNESCO World Heritage city of Antigua, where you’ll visit local markets and tour historic sites. The rest of the journey takes you through picturesque Lake Atitlan and the ancient wonders of Tikal National Park.

Intrepid Travel: Essential Morocco, Morocco

Experience the highlights of Morocco on Intrepid Travel’s Essential Morocco tour. This 11-day trip gives a great overview of the country, starting in Marrakech and ending in Casablanca. You’ll get the perfect mix of cities and nature on this trip, with stops in Fez, the Todra Gorge, and Ait Benhaddou.

More from SmarterTravel:

• 11 Trips of a Lifetime to Take in 2021
• The World’s 12 Most Walkable Cities
• 10 Natural Wonders to See Before They’re Gone

The post 6 Affordable Dream Vacations Under $1,000 to Take in 2021 appeared first on SmarterTravel.

Remote, wild, lush—when the first European explorers discovered the 115-archipelago that is the Seychelles, they thought they had found the Garden of Eden.

Upon arriving at these pristine, white sand, palm tree-fringed islands populated with gorgeous creatures that don’t roam the earth anywhere else, I wasn’t sure that they were wrong.

On my island-hopping cruise around the Seychelles with Zegrahm Expeditions, I learned a few valuable lessons that apply to the Seychelles or any adventure.

Always Get Off the Boat

Our Zegrahm Expeditions cruise director wanted to manage expectations. The snorkeling wasn’t as good as some of the other times, the announcement warned. There was a light chop in the water, and we might not see as many fish as before. Not needing more of an excuse to stay in bed for a long post-lunch nap, many people opted to stay on the boat. I dragged myself out and had one of my favorite snorkels of all time, thanks to two sea turtles that joined me (apparently they didn’t get the announcement). Sure, I swallowed some seawater due to the waves, but I would have always wondered what I’d missed if I didn’t go out.

Take a Trusted Guide (or 14)

Me, on this trip: “I saw a fish; it was shaped like a potato but a bright yellow color.” “What’s that crazy thing that looks like it’s embedded inside a rock but has teeth and moves?” Rich Pagen, a conservation biologist and one of our designated marine life guides/”fish guys” onboard always had an answer for me, no matter how odd my description sounded.

We had a team of 14 expedition guides on this trip, with expertise in microbiology, ornithology, anthropology, and more—it was like having access to a highly specialized (and fact-checked) Wikipedia of the Seychelles. The experts dined with us at every meal and were always socializing in the ship’s lounge at night, so we could corner them with more questions at any time.

Perhaps most importantly, we had Gemma Jessy, a naturalist and native Seychelloise. Gemma grew up on the island of Praslin and was invaluable for her knowledge of the Seychelles’ history, culture, and best places to go.

If you try to do this trip alone, you’ll miss out on the knowledge, stories, and expertise that make it so memorable.

Ask Questions

Don’t be afraid of looking dumb. Ask the question. The experts onboard won’t judge you, and you’ll learn things in a way that you’ll remember for the rest of your life. It’s better to say “hey, what’s that?” any time you see a unique bird or animal and get an instantaneous answer (usually along with a few fun facts) rather than try to Google it yourself later.

However, if you’re the person who asked (while we were on a boat) what elevation we were at, the other guests might judge you a little. Blame your mental lapse on the altitude sickness.

Never Miss a Sunset

On a cruise, your daily life can be a bit regimented. There are set times for meals and activities, with repeated announcements to get you to the right place at the right time. But sunset is an extracurricular that you’ll have to plan for on your own.

Make it a priority to figure out what time the sun sets each day and which side of the boat will be best for viewing. Be settled in well before the sun dips below the horizon, so you can watch the sky gradually change from a golden glow to a fiery red—the show is spectacular, wildly unproductive, and different every night.

Saving time for simple joys in life like a sunset can remind you to slow down and appreciate each day.

Bring SPF 50…

…and a sun shirt, swim tights, and a bandanna. The Seychelles are only a few hundred miles from the equator, and the sun is merciless down here. Any inch of exposed skin gets sunburned after an hour or two in the water, so covering up is the way to go. Just make sure that any sunscreen you wear is reef-safe.

Covering up is a reminder that sometimes, there’s an easier and simpler solution to what you’ve always done (slathering yourself in sunscreen).

Don’t Forget to Look Up

Change your viewpoint from what’s in front of you and you’ll find more stars than you’d know the sky contained. Birds you won’t see anywhere else on the planet, eyeing you with confusion and curiosity but no fear. Clouds lit up by the setting sun. Stunning, clear blue skies with an unbroken horizon that you could lose yourself in.

Sometimes in life, we’re so focused on what’s in front of us, or watching our feet so we don’t trip, that we forget to look up and appreciate the bigger picture.

Minimize Your Impact

The Seychelles are special because they are so untouched by humanity. Follow the “leave no trace” rule by packing out anything you bring in and never stealing anything (like sand or shells) for a souvenir.

Protect the wildlife by keeping your distance from animals, who can catch diseases from humans or learn bad behaviors. Never touch a coral reef (the oils from your skin can cause destruction), and avoid kicking or walking on coral, which can kill it.  

Many of our Zegrahm guides on this trip made their own reef-safe sunscreen, picked up marine trash, and even took home plastic water bottles for recycling—emulate that behavior. 

Don’t Give up the Moment for the Photograph

I could have taken a million photos and videos and never quite accurately recreated the delicate light here, the sparkling emerald-turquoise color of the waves, or the softness of the sand. If I spent the whole time trying, I would have missed out on the real-life moment.

Snap a photo or two and then put the camera down, so you can fully embrace this moment in time that you’ll never have again. Feel the heat of the sun warming your skin. Smell the unpolluted fresh air. Taste the salt spray on your lips. Run the sand through your fingers and marvel at its softness. Be fully present, and the memory will stick with you much longer than any photo.

Leave Your Plastics at Home

The Seychelles have banned plastic bags, cups, plates, and cutlery. Remember that as you’re packing and leave your Ziploc bags behind—and think about how you can replace them with eco-friendly alternatives. It was an eye-opening lesson to me as I was packing for this trip just how much I rely on one-time use plastic bags for travel, and I’ve now replaced them with reusable alternatives.

Be Flexible

The Seychelles are wild, and you can’t plan your trip down to the minute, unless you want to miss out on an amazing snorkel because you refused to wait for the right tide. No matter where you go, you can’t plan every minute of your trip, or you’ll lose the chance for spontaneous adventures to occur.

Be flexible in your plans, release your expectations, and give yourself up to the flow of the islands—you’ll be rightly rewarded.

More from SmarterTravel:

• When We Were the Wild Adventurers: Sailing Between the Stars and the Sea in the Seychelles
• 10 Gorgeous Beaches You’ve Probably Never Heard Of
• The Essential Beach Packing List

Caroline Morse Teel was hosted by Zegrahm Expeditions on its Ultimate Seychelles Tour With Aldabra Atoll. Follow her on Instagram @travelwithcaroline for pictures of the tour and more.

The post 10 Rules for Sailing the Seychelles appeared first on SmarterTravel.

And yet, on even on a comfortably luxurious cruise ship, I found myself surrounded by explorers. There’s something different about the people you meet onboard an expedition cruise. It wasn’t your standard group of tourists who were just there for the buffet. It was three-course meals eaten next to the only person in the world who’s stood on the bottom of the Door to Hell in Turkmenistan, sitting in a zodiac with someone about to embark on a round-the-world private jet cruise, and drinking a sunset cocktail next to a traveler who could tell me what Tibet was like in the 70s. Every conversation referenced places I couldn’t find on a map, but immediately added to my bucket list.

Meeting people like the gentleman in his 80s who was nearly to his goal of visiting all the national parks in the U.S. and Canada sparked a promise to myself to never stop traveling, learning, or appreciating life.

A Trip Unlike Any Other

The Greek Philosopher Heraclitus said, “you cannot step in the same river twice.” I keenly felt this on the tour, as every snorkel, every dip into the water brought unknown surprises, with tides bringing me past brilliant corals and curious fish that flitted by in a moment that I’d never have again. Likewise, you can’t take the same Zegrahm Expedition trip twice. The Ultimate Seychelles With Aldabra Atoll trip that I took won’t ever be offered again.

The company changes up the trips each time, offering different stops and switching up the game on a daily basis. I dined with a couple who had been on multiple Zegrahm trips across the globe, and asked how they had decided on the Seychelles as their next trip. It was easy, they replied. They asked the Zegrahm staff on their last trip which voyage the guides were all fighting to get assigned to, and picked that one.

While I slept in late, ensconced in my perfectly air-conditioned, silent cabin each morning, the expedition guides were scouting the area for the best landing spot. There was no plan to tear up when the tides dictated a new itinerary, as the staff didn’t make a schedule beyond a general briefing—what we did and where we went depended on what nature had in store for us. The running joke at the briefing was to show a miles-wide circle around the area we were in, and say that we would snorkel “somewhere in here.” Local guides were called in for expertise, helping us find the perfect snorkel sites and deserted beaches.

Our first day of the voyage was spent at sea as we cruised away from Zanzibar and toward the Seychelles, a 115-island archipelago in the Indian Ocean. I ran on the ship’s treadmill in front of a wall of panoramic windows displaying the real ocean breaking around the ship, while a simulated beach and ocean scene played on the screen before me, and thought:

How much of what we see lives up to real life? We admire photos on Instagram and travel websites that have been edited past all recognition, and are disappointed when we arrive to find crowds of tourists just like us clutching their phones and looking for the perfect shot. Would the much-hyped Seychelles be the same?

“Look around the room,” our expedition leader Brad solemnly advised that night. “By this time tomorrow, one of you will be lobster red. Will it be you?” Spoiler: It was me.

If you want to make God laugh, the saying goes, make plans. If you want to make Mother Nature laugh, be part Irish and face the sun south of the equator with a mere SPF 50. Fortunately, the very fashionable French ship Le Bouganville that we were sailing on had a well-stocked gift shop that sold swim tights (which is obviously what all French women wear to look good at the beach).

I reassured myself that at least wearing these sexy tights every day of the cruise brought the price down to a very reasonable cost per wear. There’s nothing to make you feel more glamorous than washing out a sun-safe uniform in your luxury cruise bathroom with the complimentary Hermes toiletries, but now I was ready to dive in again—which was good, since we were about to arrive at Aldabra Atoll.  

Aldabra Atoll

Our most anticipated stop on this voyage was to the Aldabra Atoll.

Aldabra has been compared to the Galapagos Islands. Both locations are home to hundreds of endemic species, but it seems an unfair analogy for Aldabra to be compared to a destination that’s so relatively invaded by tourism. While the Galapagos see over 225,000 visitors a year, only around 1,000 people get the privilege of setting foot on Aldabra each year.

Aldabra’s relative harshness has been its savior. No fresh water sources are found here, and the area is fairly inaccessible—rough waters make it impossible to visit for a significant portion of the year.

Aldabra consists of four islands around a lagoon. The size of the island of Manhattan, Aldabra is the world’s second-largest coral atoll and home to over 400 endemic species and subspecies that you won’t see anywhere else on this planet.

Zodiacs ferried us out to the top of Grand Passe, where the incoming tide would whisk us into Aldabra’s lagoon. Right before we dropped into the water for the first time, one of our guides mentioned the possibility of sharks, striking fear in my heart and the theme song to Jaws in my head.

It only took one snorkel and one encounter with a shy and graceful reef shark (who was so small, I figured I could take him in a fight if it came to that) to go from “please don’t let me see a shark” to “please let me see lots of sharks up close.” It helped that the water was crystal clear, the visibility so good that nothing could sneak up on me.

Hundreds of orange fish were suspended in the light beams around me, like a fistful of glittering confetti thrown into the crystal-clear water.

A drift snorkel feels like flying.  As we drifted along without the need to kick or swim, we had a bird’s-eye view of the vibrant ecosystem below. The tides swept us up along with huge schools of fish, in vivid oranges and yellow and patterns so flamboyant they seemed unnatural.

A turtle, as big as myself, startled me as it zipped past at high speed. A shot of fear turned into adrenaline and a gasp of joy inside my snorkel at seeing this gentle giant up close, even if it had no interest in hanging out with me for long. Whoever gave this graceful beast a reputation as being slow must have never seen one swim.

A small grey reef shark gaped at the schools of snorkelers before darting away to quieter waters.

At the end of the drift, we were scooped up in a zodiac and pleaded like kids at an amusement park to go again and again, the boats bringing us back to the start to experience nature’s magical ride once more.

How rare it was to be one of a few people on the planet to get to experience this golden moment. We headed to shore and strolled along soft, white-sand beaches as gold-tipped reef sharks swirled around the waves, visible just inches away from our feet. We watched the giant tortoises go about their daily life in their beautiful habitat.

I wondered if they were enjoying the golden sunset and soft light as much as I was or if it was just another day on the sand to them.

Learning Life-Changing Lessons

There’s nothing like an expedition cruise to make you feel humbled—insignificant against the millions of stars above and endless expanse of ocean and sky—but also powerful and important with every choice you make every minute of every day.

Before the voyage, I knew that plastics were bad for the environment. But to sit in on a lecture from Dr. Merel Dalebout, a naturalist with a Ph.D in ecology and evolution, and learn that one million plastic water bottles are sold every minute worldwide, and then to go for a swim with the magnificent creatures that ingest and die from these plastics, and then to see plastic bottles and flip-flops washed up on remote shores miles from civilization, makes me realize just how powerful my everyday choices are, and I vowed to become a more conscious consumer upon returning home.

“Le Hard” on La Digue

In this untouched part of the world, there’s no local population putting pressure on the ecosystem, and you can see what nature is like when it’s left wild and unafraid of humans. After two glorious days at Aldabra, we sailed on, exploring remote corners and secret sections of the Seychelles, before finishing up our journey on La Digue.

You may have seen the picture-perfect island of La Digue on generic, calming screensavers before. This island is the embodiment of the word paradise: huge, granite boulders that frame blindingly white sand, fringed with lush green palm trees. Brilliantly turquoise waves crest in white foam and pound on the shores in a white-noise-worthy soundtrack. The night before we landed, we were given a choice that honored the French heritage of these islands.

Pick “Le Hard, L’Easy, or Le Truck.” I tentatively wrote my name down on Le Hard, also branded as the Survival of the Fittest Hike/Bike/Swim. Was I up for this mini-triathlon after two weeks of French cheese?

Fortune and jaw-dropping scenery favor the brave … and the cheese-stuffed. On La Digue, a fleet of the island’s finest bikes were waiting for us. Slightly ocean-rusted and creaking, these beach cruisers let us stretch our legs and fly down the dirt roads of the islands. We passed through local villages and forests to emerge triumphant at what I thought was the most beautiful beach I’d ever seen. It looked just like I had been dropped into the screensaver I had imagined. But this was not the beach we were here to see—our guide Murph promised us an even more stunning one in exchange for a little sweat.

We trekked over the beach and up a rocky trail that confirmed La Digue’s granitic island history. The boulders formed stairs, and at the top of the natural granite staircase, a breeze and sparkling ocean view gave a signal that this hike would be more than worth it. We descended down to Anse Coco beach.

Accessible only by boat or hike, the crowds were minimal. Desperate to cool off after our expedition, we shed our sweaty clothes down to our sweatier swimsuits and plunged into the water. Cooler than many other spots in the Seychelles, the water offered sweet relief, at a price. The undertow made the ocean’s power very clear. The aggressive waves came tumbling one after another, knocking us off our feet much as did the beauty of the island. We frolicked in the glowing turquoise water, getting taken out by waves and giggling with glee, feeling like explorers who’d stumbled upon a secret paradise.

At the day’s end, we’d return to the ship and our pampered existence as cruisers. But out here in the swirling waters, we were the wild adventurers.

From the Stars to the Bottom of the Ocean

Each night on the ship, we journeyed from the stars to the bottom of the ocean. At 9 pm, the boat lights were turned off. The top deck was empty and still, with just the hum of the engines and the rushing of the waves as we cut through the water. There was no light to compete with the stars, their brilliance shone brighter than I’d ever seen—a natural dark sky reserve. The Milky Way cut a vibrant swath through the sky, and too many other stars for me to identify lit up the sky. After hours of stargazing and tracing constellations I’d never seen before, I tore myself away and took the elevator down six flights, emerging underwater.

Le Bouganville’s Blue Eye Lounge added a submarine element to the ship. Four holes cut into the hull and encased in 18 layers of glass let us live underneath the sea each night. Blue underwater lights lit up the ocean around us, giving us a peek into life below the water line. I felt like a spy suspended in space as curious needlenose fish darted by the windows. The room erupted in cheers as a sea turtle swam by, and gasps when a flying fish danced across our view. Bioluminescence sparkled below, looking like precious gems in the blue light, bringing one of the ship’s marine experts nearly to tears at seeing such a rare sight up close, dry, and with a drink in hand.

We spent our nights pressed up against the glass in wonder and with our eyes turned up to the sky. Back in Boston I lift my gaze up to the light-polluted skies in search of the same brilliance. It doesn’t matter that I can’t see them anymore—I know the stars are up there just as I know the spirit of the adventurous expeditioner lives on inside me.    

More from SmarterTravel:

• The 10 Best Beach Destinations in the World
• 10 Gorgeous Beaches You’ve Probably Never Heard Of
• The Essential Beach Packing List

Caroline Morse Teel was hosted by Zegrahm Expeditions on their Ultimate Seychelles Tour With Aldabra Atoll. Follow her on Instagram @travelwithcaroline for pictures of the tour and more.

The post When We Were the Wild Adventurers: Sailing Between the Stars and the Sea in the Seychelles appeared first on SmarterTravel.